Woman in Your 40s. Most people in their 20s and 30s can seemingly work out every single day without any issues, but as you get into your 40s, you are going to notice that your more intense exercise routines may start to become more difficult. As you start to get older, there are going to be a number of things that you will want to avoid in order to keep your workouts safe, and more effective.
Women who are working out in their 40s are going to want to avoid exercises that put lots of strain on the joints, or any exercises that are high impact. The exercises that should be avoided include crunches, sprinting, deadlifts, squats, and plyometrics.
Now you know what general things to avoid, so continue reading to get the specifics. We’ve put together a list of exercises you should stay away from, as well as a few tips to make sure you’re staying safe when you do your workouts.
Crunches & Sit-Ups
Sit-ups aren’t great for anyone, no matter what age they are. Traditionally, when you are doing a sit-up or crunches you are rounding your back a large amount, and this is going to place your back in an unhealthy position. Over time, this is going to put more and more stress on your lower back. This can lead to you herniating a disc from the stress.
If you are looking to develop your core without risking your back, then I would recommend that you move towards planks and side planks. This will strengthen all areas of your core in a much more healthy and sustainable manner than sit-ups can.
Sprint Training
Any sort of high-impact exercise is going to be tough on your joints and can easily lead to them becoming either very sore or even injured. These exercises include exercises like running or sprinting, which are going to be extra hard on your knees. Instead, you will want to do cardio exercises that are going to be low-impact. These exercises include:
- Yoga
- Swimming
- Cycling
Deadlifts
Deadlifts can be a great exercise, but they have to be done very carefully to make sure you don’t injure yourself. If you don’t have any deadlifting experience, and you are entering or in your 30s, then you will want to avoid starting. Deadlifting requires perfect form along with a large amount of core, back, and hip strength. Improper deadlifting can lead to injury or lots of stress on your lumbar spine.
If you practice and know how properly do it properly, then you are still going to want to be careful. You will want to avoid doing deadlifts at the end of your workouts, as muscle fatigue can lead to improper form and potential injury. You also will want to work your way up to your heaviest weight in order to make sure your muscles are prepared and able to handle the stress of the workout.
An easy alternative for deadlifts is just traditional weight lifting. You are going to want to lift weights in order to build muscles, so traditional weightlifting is a great alternative to deadlifts.
Squats
Squats are a great workout for your legs and glutes, but as you get older it gets far easier to hurt yourself, even if you have proper form. Squats, because of their weight, are known for causing lower back pain, as well as putting a lot of stress on your knees. Some good alternatives to squats are going to be lunges and step-ups.
Plyometrics
As mentioned earlier, one of the main things that you are going to want to avoid in your 40s is any sort of high-impact exercise. Plyometrics are just high-impact exercises that are going to be very tough on your knees and ankles. This becomes even worse if you don’t have a lot of muscle surrounding your joints, as they are the main shock absorbers around your joints.
If you are still wanting to do plyometrics, then the best thing that you can do is to do it slower and with less intensity. This is because, the faster you are going, the more stress you put on your joins. By going slower, plyometrics become easier on your joints.
Important Reminders For Workouts
Warm-Ups and Cool Downs
Making sure that you are warmed up before you start your workout is one of the most important things that you can do for any workout. Making sure that you are stretching out your muscles, loosening them before your workout, and jogging slowly are all critical ways to warm up before a workout. This helps prepare your muscles for the workout ahead and gets your heart beating, meaning more blood is flowing throughout your body. All of this helps reduce the likelihood of injuring yourself when working out.
Proper Form
After getting in a good warm-up, the next most important thing that you are going to want to do is make sure that you are doing all of your exercises in perfect form. There are a number of different warm-up benefits that you will see from using the proper form, including more efficient workouts, but most important is the fact that it decreases the odds of hurting yourself.
When starting a new workout or exercise, you will want to take it slow and easy at first in order to learn the right form. Having proper posture throughout the day can also prevent back and shoulder pain you feel when working out as well.
Overworking Yourself
Making sure that you don’t overwork yourself and listening to your body is critical to preventing any sort of injury. Another common time that people will injure themselves is when they are getting to the end of their workout. Tired muscles can easily get torn or pulled, which will result in an injury that can last for a long time, just because you didn’t listen to your muscles when they said they were done. Calling it a day before your muscles are completely out of energy is always going to be the better option.